By SHAUN BYRON and DAVE GROVES Of The Oakland Press
A number of Oakland County communities and schools have been acknowledging and will acknowledge the suffering that has resulted from Monday's shootings in Blacksburg, Va.
The public has been taking time from their lives to attend many of these ceremonies, which are giving people an opportunity to express their condolences to friends and families affected by the massacre at Virginia Tech.
A number of Troy ministers put together a service that was open to the public on Thursday night at the First Presbyterian Church of Troy, 4328 Livernois Road.
Although the people who attended the ceremony might have been from different denominations of Christianity, they all came together when the service began.
The Rev. J. Harold Ellens, who said they were “assembled because we are caught up in national grief,” led attendees in prayer at the ceremony.
The congregation packed themselves into the church, filling the pews with families, neighbors and friends.
Jeanne Berry of Troy and Luanne Fisher of Bloomfield Township said they were volunteering for a blood drive at the church and decided to stay for the ceremony.
“I thought it was very well worth coming,” Berry said. “I think a lot of people have to deal with a lot of different emotions and I'm sure the Korean community is very devastated.”
The mixture of people sang special hymns selected for the evening and sought help through spiritual healing.
Troy resident Yong Yoon of Troy said he is originally from South Korea and that many people in his community are saddened by what has happened.
“This man was from Korea, it’s just very sad,” he said.
Other ceremonies have been held on college campuses, where the tragedy has probably hit home for many people seeking an education.
About 80 students, staff and faculty members at the Auburn Hills Campus of Oakland Community College gathered on Thursday to remember those killed and offer support to their family, friends, fellow students and others in the university community who are now grieving.
The 30-minute vigil included comments from campus faculty, poetry recitals, a candle lighting and a reading of the names of those killed on Monday.
At Lawrence Technological University, students painted the school’s Spirit Rock with the orange and maroon Virginia Tech logo and a message stating that the 32 victims of the shootings will never be forgotten.
Staff and faculty on Lawrence Tech’s Southfield campus have been invited to sign a banner of support for survivors, which will be sent to Virginia Tech. It will be located in the Buell Management Building from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday.
At 7:30 tonight, the Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce will host a Candlelight Prayer Vigil and Memorial Service at St. Mary Antiochian Church, 3212 W. 12 Mile Road, in Berkley. Organized to honor and remember Virginia Tech Lebanese American students Reema Samaha and Ross Alameddine, the event will include an offertory collection to support their families.
